


Tell Me Without Saying

by lababo



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Cadet!AruAni, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Pining, Unapologetic self-indulgent fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:08:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25932634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lababo/pseuds/lababo
Summary: How much do you learn about someone from the way they kiss?
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart
Comments: 10
Kudos: 116





	1. Magnolia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Armin likes to poke his nose in other people's business and Annie likes to ask questions in an unfazed manner and that's how they lowkey flirt with each other

“Annie?”

After searching through the premises, Armin finally finds a familiar figure sitting in the shade of a tree. It's quite a ways off the training grounds, close to the river, and was by no means easy to find.

Annie turns at the sound of his voice, her knees pressed close to her chest. Armin is greeted by a look of surprise.

“How long have you been here?” he asks, sitting on the grass beside her. “You weren’t at the mess hall today... Have you eaten?”

Annie shifts in her seat. “You noticed that I wasn’t around...?”

Armin sighs. “Annie,” he pleads, “you need to take care of your health.”

Annie side-eyes him. “Since when did you start to care?”

Her icy tone goes over Armin’s head and he replies with sincerity. “Well, you started acting pretty weird a couple of days ago.”

"Weird?" Annie jolts. “Seriously, Armin...”

"For instance..." Armin starts making various hand gestures, wondering where to start. “When Eren, Mikasa and I started sitting at your table for dinner, you would get up and leave before finishing your food. And then, you stopped attending training sessions after Eren and I kept asking to spar with you.”

As he explains, Annie’s face looks more and more flustered, her cheeks turning red.

“And today, you kind of freaked out when Eren asked you why you were late for our morning run. I...found out that you accidentally slept in because you aren’t sleeping well.”

Annie looks mortified. “Did I look that bad?”

“N-No! No, you never look bad, Annie.” _What?_ Armin thinks. _Slow down, you’re talking too fast._ “Mina...told me she’d heard you getting to bed really late last night.”

“You asked my roommate?! Wait--what are you trying to get at?”

Armin gulps and inhales before speaking.

“Your behavior... Is it because...you like Eren?”

The color instantly fades from Annie’s face and is replaced by an expression that says, _Really?_

Armin sits still, confused.

Annie’s shoulders slump. “Armin, I thought you were smarter than that,” she mumbles.

“Huh?”

It totally escapes Armin that every time he saw Annie acting weird around Eren, he was also there next to her. Sitting beside her at mealtime while Eren sat across, sparring with her and laughing after she beat him miserably, even _thanking_ her for it the day before Annie stopped showing up--

Annie turns to him, unimpressed. “I can’t believe that’s what you went here to tell me.”

Armin waves his hands about. “I-I didn’t mean to pry you! I was just...worried something bad might happen to you, as a result. Like failing a class, or getting a...stomach ulcer or something.”

Annie studies Armin's face for a moment and he sweats.

“To answer your question, no, I don’t like that suicidal maniac.”

Armin blinks. “...Oh.” He lets out a breath, feeling weirdly relieved. He scratches the back of his head, embarrassed.

“Does that mean...you’ll eat with us again?” _And look after yourself more._

Annie crosses her arms over her knees and buries her face. “I’m sorry for making you worry,” she says, losing the edge in her tone. “I never would've thought you’ll notice... Alright, I’ll make sure not to skip meals or class anymore.”

She often hides it, but somehow Armin can tell from Annie’s eyes when she’s happy. His shoulders relax. “I’m glad...”

“But,” she continues pensively, “if I _did_ like that idiot, what would you think?”

Armin hums as he ponders the question. “To tell you the truth, I’ve never met anyone with a thicker skull. Even though Eren is my best friend, I’m not sure I can vouch for him on this.”

A smile flickers across Annie’s face and Armin’s heart skips a beat. “That was painfully honest,” she replies.

A gust of wind blows past and the leaves rustle over their heads. Flowers fall quietly to the ground, and Armin takes one in his hands.

“What about you, Armin?” Annie asks.

“Hm?”

“Do you...like someone?”

Suddenly, Armin’s heart races. He starts fiddling with the flower.

“Err...I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“Well...” Armin swallows. “There is someone... If I’m honest, I like her... I like her a lot. But I don’t know if she feels the same, so I try not to think about it.”

Armin bites his lower lip because the last thing he said was a blatant lie. His restless thoughts are precisely why he sought her out, why he is sitting next to her now.

Annie turns away, and Armin almost doesn’t hear her when she speaks. “Still, that makes her a lucky person,” she says.

Armin’s eyes widen. Her hair is covering her face, but he badly wants to see her expression.

He reaches up, slowly tucks her hair behind her ear, and places the flower there. The brush of her skin on his fingertips is electrifying. Annie lifts her gaze, and her cheeks are flushed once more.

“Not as lucky as the person you like,” he tells her.

For the first time, Armin sees things which he’d never seen before. The depth in her eyes seems to hold a greater mystery than all the world, and Armin wants to spend his life understanding it. His vision is filled with nothing but her, from the way her hair falls to frame her face, to the smooth curve of her nose, to the gentle shimmer on her slightly parted lips...

Then, Armin feels a hand over his, and Annie leans in. Her eyes flutter closed as she presses her mouth onto his, gently, timidly, and Armin sits still as a tree stump. Blood rushes to his face and he becomes dumbly aware of his chapped, quivering lips, and neither of them makes the tiniest move for moments.

But when he feels Annie inch back a fraction, Armin is pulled to her like a magnet, and he catches her lips once more. Annie exhales and eases into him, like she’s been holding her breath this whole time.

It isn’t long before they part. Armin slowly opens his eyes, face hot and chest threatening to burst. His mind comes back to him, but before he can take a good look at her, Annie gets to her feet.

“Annie–-” Armin croaks, but it comes out less like a voice than a breath.

Annie turns away and strides off without a word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the action is going to be in later chapters, if you know what I mean hehe... I hope you guys stay tuned
> 
> Anyway, I haven't written in YEARS, but the AoT fandom is so incredibly creative and full of love that it inspired me to try again. So this is for you all guys. Even tho you don't know who I am. The AoT fandom is amazing and I love all of you wah
> 
> Hope you enjoyed.......!


	2. Dim Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Armin confirms that there is nothing Annie Leonhart isn't good at

Armin paces back and forth in the farthest corner of the library. Evening had come, and he pretty much had the whole place to himself. Silence rings throughout the chamber.

But Armin's thoughts are loud. Anxiously, he counts his problems on his fingers and replays every regrettable action he'd done since that day by the river.

 _So much for asking Annie to stop hiding..._ Armin contemplates the downside of asking people favors, because from the way the tables turned against him, it's only a matter of time before everyone finds him out.

The night after _that_ , Annie ate dinner as promised and sat next to Armin again. But all Armin could think of was finishing his food and leaving, not realizing that his face was stuffed full.

Eren observed him with fascination and said, "Armin, why are you suddenly eating like a _horse_?" emphasizing the last word and then glaring at Jean.

Jean cracked his knuckles, murderous smile on his face, and muttered, "You scumbag..." before lunging at Eren. Armin slipped away when chaos ensued.

Armin also started to feel like a pair of eyes was constantly following him. He couldn't tell if it was Reiner or Bertholdt, because the two are virtually inseparable. He supposes it's because they act like overprotective brothers to everyone, and they're particularly good friends with Annie, but Armin couldn't help but be paranoid that they know--or at least one of them knows--what's really going on.

Armin walks around in the library to try and calm himself down. He winds through the dimly lit corridors, footsteps echoing quietly on the cold tiled floors. But when he turns a corner, he walks into someone and--

"Wha--?!"

Armin nearly falls backwards, but the person catches him by the arm. As soon as he balances himself, the strong hand gripping him immediately lets go.

"There you are," says a cool, familiar voice.

"Annie?" Armin blinks. "I didn't hear y--what are you doing here?"

Annie steps back a bit to compose herself. "I was looking for you."

"...What for?" Armin pats down his shirt nervously.

Annie puts a hand on her arm and looks at the ground, somehow unable to continue.

"Um..." Armin tries to break the silence. "D-Did you like the food today?"

"Bread and soup..?" There is a flat expression on her face.

Armin's eyes flicker from side to side. "Well, yeah, it's..." _It's the same tasteless thing we eat every day, you idiot._ He panics and tries to double back. "I-I meant to say, I was happy to see you eating well again."

Annie shifts on her feet. "Thanks," she mumbles, though she says it like it's a question.

"A-And to see you back in class," he adds.

Another uneasy silence falls between them.

Before Armin can find anything proper to say, Annie inhales and quickly asks, "Can we forget about what happened the other day?"

Armin's eyes widen. "Forget...? About what?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

She's right--Armin does, but he feels deeply dejected by her question. A sudden wave of clarity washes over him.

"Do you...want to forget?" he asks carefully.

"W-Well, it's..." Annie hugs both her arms to herself. "It's more like I don't want to break my word...when I promised you that I would stop skipping things."

Armin stands in place, finally understanding the situation.

"So," she prods, "can we pretend none of it happened and just go back to how things were before?" There is a hint of regret in her tone.

Armin takes a step toward her and Annie doesn't back away.

"What if I don't want to?"

"What?" Annie says, incredulous. "You want us to keep acting like weirdos around each other?"

"I'm sorry, Annie," Armin answers, and he means it. "I didn't mean for you to feel that way."

He searches her face for a response, and Annie's breath hitches. Her icy glare grows dark, and her voice is barely above a whisper when she says, "But I do, so what are you going to do about it?" The quiver in it gives her away.

This time, Armin makes sure he has a sound mind on his shoulders.

His eyes fix on her lips and he leans in slightly, but pauses to observe her reaction, as if to ask for permission. He feels her breath hot on his chin, and when she doesn't move back, he closes the distance between them.

To his surprise, there is no resistance in Annie. Her lips are as soft as when she first kissed him, but now that his mouth isn't pressed tightly, it's a world of difference. Gradually, they fall into an easy rhythm, and Armin begins to predict the way she moves.

But Armin's hand seems to have a mind of its own. He only remembers placing it on her hip, but he is distantly aware of reaching up to cup her face. And like everything that has surprised him, Annie leans into his touch. Beneath his fingers, he could feel the warmth of her cheek, the outline of her mouth, the curve of her jaw.

They part momentarily for air, and Armin tries his best not to feel dizzy. Annie's palm is warm over his pounding heart. Her other hand traces his lips lightly with her fingertips, hazy eyes studying them, and Armin smiles.

Armin is caught completely off-guard when Annie tugs him by the shirt and pulls him into another kiss.

Although their faces are squished together, something at the back of Armin's mind is telling him to keep a distance between their bodies. The longer they're at it, the more Armin feels the tension between his legs. Somehow, Annie manages to push him against the shelf, and her kisses now have a different energy. He tries not to think too much about it when she presses herself against him, chest to hips.

But then he feels her tongue lick the inside of his lower lip, and Armin decides that Annie is purely evil. He makes a sound from the back of his throat. His groin _aches_ , and he knows she can feel it through their clothing, and there is nothing he can do about it. Armin resigns and lets her do with him as she pleases.

They only part again when the bell outside tolls for dinner. Annie is wrapped in Armin's arms, his hair is a mess, and they are both flustered and breathing heavily. It took a lot of willpower for them to stop, but they knew they would need to hurry back unless they want to sleep hungry and make their friends wonder why they're missing.

Before they go, Armin makes sure he takes a good look at Annie's face. His thumb rubs slow circles on her back as he asks, shyly, "Do you still want to forget about it?"

Annie shoves him in the chest and Armin laughs as he follows her into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had too much fun with this chapter, it's the most detailed make-out session I've ever whipped up hahahaha hope you enjoyed Long Live AruAni /peace


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